Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

Also known as: Super Donkey Kong 2: Dixie to Diddy (JP)Developer:
RarePublisher:
NintendoPlatform:
SNESReleased in JP: November 21, 1995Released in US: November 20, 1995Released in EU: December 14, 1995

This game has unused areas. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has revisional differences. This game has anti-piracy features.

Unused Level

Pro Action Replay code 7E00D300 will load an incomplete version of Web Woods upon entering any level. This version contains several differences from the final one:

Diddy and/or Dixie will drop from the top of the map, landing near a DK Barrel.

Aside from two nearby Zingers, the level is devoid of any further objects.

You cannot enter the cave at the end of the section, as exit data isn't programmed.

However, using PAR code 7E0E1000 for Moonjump (jump at any point and as many times as you want) will enable you to get to the other side of the barrier. There are no other objects in the level, but you can also jump over the cave at what is normally the end of the level...to a bunch of random tiles between there and the rightmost border of the level.

The entrance. And a DK barrel!

Zingers!

The cave can't be entered, but you can see beyond it.

The garbled mess beyond the final wall.

(Source: Rick)

Unused Language Option

PAR code 7E061702 enables an option to change the English game text to German...except this doesn't actually work, mainly because the only other language used for the text is French. There's no German text in the European or Japanese versions, either.

Still, there was a German release which, as you may have guessed, uses German text. It also has English as the alternate language option.

Unused Sprites

Diddy and Dixie looking rather sad. Judging from their close proximity in the ROM to the victory sprites, these were likely intended to be used for failing a Bonus Game. Similar animations were used in Donkey Kong Country when failing the various spelling, shell game and mix-and-match bonus games.

Unused Enemy Palettes

Zinger

Palette address: 3D6C22 - 3D6C3F
Directly after the red and yellow Zinger palettes is this one. Green Zingers were used in the first Donkey Kong Country, but not here.

Flitter has four unused palettes, but unfortunately only uses the blue-with-purple-wings variant in-game.

(Source: Mattrizzle)

Unused Music

These tracks are loaded as part of the Crocodile Cacophony music set used in K. Rool Duel and Krocodile Kore. However, a few checks for this set in the code result in them never being played normally.

Death against K. Rool

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Diddy wins against K. Rool

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Dixie wins against K. Rool

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PAR code B883B52C will allow the death music to be played normally in both K. Rool battles, and B8B3090A will allow the victory themes to play in K. Rool Duel. B8B31300 will do the same as the latter for Krocodile Kore, but it will give you a Kremkoin instead of a Hero Coin for beating the battle the first time.

(Note that all codes above are for US v1.0.)

Unused Sounds

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Unknown, but it may have been intended for when a Kong is released from a DK barrel like in the previous entry.

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An alternate sound for collecting a banana. This exact sound is used in Donkey Kong Country 3 when collecting a banana bunch.

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This sound should be used when the Kongs are transforming inside an Animal Buddy Barrel. It is even called in the game's code, albeit too late, and on the same channel as the sound of the barrel breaking. Thus, it cannot be heard.

Anti-Piracy

SRAM Check

If the game detects 0KB of SRAM, this screen will pop up. Normally, the cartridge has 2KB of SRAM, but this anti-piracy routine will not be executed if this amount is increased (the typical anti-piracy routine of video games). Game Genie code 6D60-4F0F will make this always appear, regardless of whether the cartridge passes the SRAM check. The background is the same as when the game detects an incorrect region.

Copier Check

At 0x83C0 and 0x83C8 are the following strings:

Rareware
A thief!

The game performs a series of tests during startup to detect the presence of copiers. If these tests fail, the string "A thief!" is copied to both $907 and the beginning of SRAM, and the game locks up with an anti-piracy message. The game checks for this string in RAM when the console is reset, and triggers the same message if it is present, effectively killing the game until the console is powered off.

However, if the tests pass, the string "Rareware" is copied to $907 instead; if this string is detected at startup, the anti-piracy checks are skipped and the game boots normally (presumably as a failsafe if the game encounters an error and must be reset).

(Source: BMF54123, gabrielwoj)

Build Dates

Present at 3F0000 in all versions of the ROM.

US v1.0

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 22/10/95 @ 1:46

Japan v1.0

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 26/10/95 @ 12:44

German v1.0

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 31/10/95 @ 23:03

Japan v1.1

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 08/11/95 @ 16:48

Europe v1.1

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 08/11/95 @ 16:54

German v1.1

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 08/11/95 @ 17:00

US v1.1

DIDDY ASSEMBLY DATE & TIME 08/11/95 @ 17:06

Regional Differences

Title Screen

US/Europe

Japan

Graphical Changes

US

Japan/Europe

The colors of the buttons on the controllers in the game mode selection screen are region-appropriate. North American SNES controllers have purple and lavender buttons, while the European and Japanese controllers use red, blue, green, and yellow buttons.

US

Japan/Europe

The aforementioned controller change appears in the Monkey Museums. An additional shadow can be seen on the controller in the Japanese and European versions as well.

US

Japan/Europe

In the Japanese and European versions, some background details of K. Rool Duel are different – most notably, the door appears to have a large hole blown through it. Of course, the controller's buttons were changed here too...

Kong Kollege Game Save Price

International

Japan

In the Japanese version, saving at the same Kong Kollege again costs one Banana Coin instead of two.

Version Differences

Music Test

In the SNES version, select an empty file, then press Down, Down, Down, Down, Down when Two-Player Contest is highlighted. The menu will scroll down to the new option, where you can press Left or Right to select the music.

In the GBA version, enter ONETIME in the Cheat menu inside the Option screen to access the Music Test.

Note that some music tracks cannot be heard in the music test for the SNES version, but they are available in the music test for the GBA version. Also, the GBA version has several new tracks that are not found in the SNES version at all. Second note, the SNES music track "Rescue Kong" is not used in the GBA version, instead a modified version of the same track is used, called "K. Rool 2". Most of the titles of the GBA tracks are from the SNES version's official soundtrack, although the track "Stickerbush Symphony" is renamed "Stickerbrush Symphony."

Music Title (SNES)

Music Title (GBA)

Island Map

Welcome to Crocodile Isle

Main Theme

K. Rool Returns

Swamp

Bayou Boogie

Swanky

Swanky's Swing

Enchanted Wood

Forest Interlude

Ship Deck

Klomp's Romp

Mine

Kannon's Klaim

Funky

Funky the Main Monkey

Brambles

Stickerbrush Symphony

Klubba

Klubba's Reveille

Wasp Hive

Flight of the Zinger

Wrinkly

School House Harmony

Lava

Hot-Head Bop

Roller Coaster

Disco Train

Bonus

Token Tango

Ship Hold

Lockjaw's Saga

Fanfare

Opening Fanfare

Ship Deck 2

Snakey Chantey

Rescue Kong

K. Rool 2

Game Over

Game Over

Big Boss

Boss Bossa Nova

Castle

Krook's March

Haunted

Haunted Chase

Select

Steel Drum Rhumba

Cranky

Cranky's Conga

Ice

In a Snowbound Land

Jungle

Primal Rave

Lost World

Lost World Anthem

Rigging

Jib Jig

Credits

Donkey Kong Rescued

Krool

Crocodile Cacophony

N/A

Dixie Guitar

N/A

Diddy Boom Box

N/A

Expresso Racing

N/A

Bonus Lose

N/A

Bonus Win

N/A

Dixie Defeated

N/A

Diddy Defeated

N/A

Intro Story

N/A

Krockship

N/A

Run, Rambi! Run!

N/A

Bad Bird Rag

N/A

Level Complete

N/A

Expresso Victory

N/A

Expresso Fail

N/A

Funky Mission Complete

N/A

Funky Mission Fail

N/A

Funky's Flights

Version 1.0

To do:Any other known changes?

King Zing Sting moves slower.

It's possible to crash the game in Kreepy Krow by hitting Krow while he's moving up to the next level.

The timer on the moving barrel can be disabled by getting hit by an enemy exactly as the timer hits zero. You can then move to the left and scroll out of bounds which causes you to wrap over to the other side of the level.

Virtual Console Changes

The Virtual Console version makes a change to Glimmer's Galleon. In the SNES version, when the Kongs would change direction, Glimmer would turn around to face the screen; during this time, there would be a blinding flash where the entire screen would turn white for one frame, forcing players to close their eyes. The Virtual Console version removes the flash, reducing the risk of epilepsy.